


One Trip Around

by Bucklethorpe



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, More than slightly AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-28 19:33:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7653955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bucklethorpe/pseuds/Bucklethorpe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Nicole Haught's first day on the job and she's about to meet Purgatory's most troublesome resident...and her little sister.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Trip Around

It’s not that she was nervous. She’s not. Not at all. She’d been trained for this.  Months and months of training, in fact.  So she wasn’t nervous.  It’s just that it was her first day.  It was her first blitz across town with lights on and sirens blaring.  It was her first call on what seemed like it was going to be a very boring first day on the job.  She had just learned how to correctly fill out a parking ticket under her training officer’s intense supervision when the static of the radio announced an ongoing fist fight at a local bar.  

_ Shorty’s Saloon _ .

Sounded innocent enough.

That would an incorrect assumption.

She could already hear the commotion when she parked her cruiser on the street outside.  She rushed to get out of her car and into the action before she realized her partner (and T.O.) was not so hot on her trail.  

“Slow down!” Gertie said, just maneuvering out of the cruiser. “I’m not a spring chicken anymore, Officer Haught.”

“I’m sorry,” Nicole apologized and jogged back over to lend an arm for Gertie to pull up on.  “You sure you want to go in?”

“Yeah, I better,” Gertie said. “It’s probably that dim-witted grandson of mine. Stupid Carl.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’s not stupid,” Nicole said amicably.

“He is,” Gertie responded. “He’s a real dumbass.”

“Well,” Nicole shrugged, “Okay then. You would know better than I would.”

So, it wasn’t exactly the rush to the door Nicole had planned for her first official act as a deputy of Purgatory Sheriff Department.  It was more of a moderately quickened shuffle.  Gertie was seventy-one.  She was the very first woman on the Purgatory Police force.  She had arrested three hundred and twenty-three criminals in a career that had spanned forty-seven years.  But, honestly, Nicole just wanted to pick the old lady up and carry her ass into this goddamn bar.

“Wait!” Gertie pulled back on the arm she had looped around Nicole’s just before they reached the door.  She reached up and turned Nicole’s hat around, crest facing forward. “Now, go.”

The scene inside was a veritable madhouse.  The place was packed with screaming patrons, beers lofted in the air, fists pumping.  When she finally followed the eyeline of the crowd, she saw the three huge monitors conveniently located for viewing ease.  It was then she realized they were all displaying a pre-season hockey game.  It was the very first Flames game after a long hockey hiatus. Of course, that was what all the hubbub was about.

It was only after the crowd noise had died down after the start of intermission that Nicole heard the real fight going on.  And one woman seemed to be putting on the show.  Dark curls hung loosely around her face and whipped around her head each time she made another emphatic point.  She had a beer bottle in one hand that looked to be nearly full considering the amount of liquid that was sloshing out of it.  The other hand was full of bar peanuts and she kept throwing them one by one at woman in front of her.

“I have a great ass!” she yelled.  “Say it! Say it, bitch!”

“No!” the other woman screamed back.  A peanut bounced off her forehead before the word was out.

“Say it, Steph.”

“I’m not saying anything!”

“Don’t insult my ass,” the woman warned. “You can insult anything else.  My dump of a house, my rickety old pickup, even my whore momma who ran off with Willie Nelson’s tour bus.  But,  _ don’t _ , start on my ass. My ass is great.”

Nicole couldn’t help but verify her statement.  The high cut of her leather jacket and tightness of her jeans did prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that her ass  _ was _ great.

“Wynonna!”

Nicole glanced around to see the source of the voice.  It was an older gentleman, towel over his shoulder.  He nodded at Nicole like he was going to take care of it.  She wasn’t sure why, taking care of it was her job.

“Is that her name?” Nicole asked the bartender, having to yell over the din of the crowd.

He nodded, “Earp. She gets a little feisty after a few...or twelve.”

“Wynonna Earp?” Nicole asked, brows furrowed.  

“That’s what I said.”

Nicole looked him over thoughtfully. “This your place?”

“Yes, ma’am, Officer...?” he let the statement linger.

“Haught.”

“I’m Shorty,” he pointed toward his chest. “That’s Wynonna.” He gestured to the woman who was still ranting about her ass. “Good luck, Officer Haught.”

“Okay...” Nicole took the few steps over to Wynonna.  She tucked her thumbs into her utility belt, mostly because she didn’t know where else to put her hands. “Hi, Ms. Earp.”

Wynonna stopped mid-ramble to levied the side-eye to end all side-eyes.

“Wynonna,” Nicole tried again. “Hey, how ‘bout we go outside. Get some air?”

“Who called the girl scouts?” Wynonna asked, looking around the officer. “Shorty? Did you call the girl scouts?”

“Better watch it, Wynonna,” he answered, shaking his head.

“Watch what?”

Shorty chuckled at that as he pulled the towel off his shoulder to dry a shot glass. “You’re gonna get yourself into a heap of trouble, kid.”

Wynonna looked Nicole right in the eye. “Nothing new, then.”

“That’s all you are, Wynonna Earp!” Steph called, stepping right in behind Nicole.  She effectively sandwiched the deputy in between them. “You’re fucking trouble.  _ And _ you slept with Billy.”

“Who the fuck cares?” Wynonna shot back. “Everybody has slept with Billy.”

“Take it back!”

“Not a chance.”

“Listen, saggy ass, you better take it back!”

That’s when it happened. Nicole saw it coming. She saw it and knew it, but everything just  _ slowed _ down. Slow motion nearly. In a snap, Wynonna had a crazed look in her eye. Nicole actually saw the moment that she went from miffed to pissed.  All those peanuts in her hand landed on the floor with tiny thuds.  Nicole thought it strange that she heard it, but had little time to think it out before she saw Wynonna’s fist clench and her arm draw back.  Her form was fantastic, honestly.  Stance was awesome, defensive hand near her face and everything. If it were any other day, Nicole would have been impressed.

It wasn’t that Nicole was invested in saving this Steph character from a black eye.  She wasn’t. In fact, Steph was a bitch of enormous proportions.  Nicole could already tell that.  But, Officer Haught did take an oath to serve and protect. So, she did what any good officer would and pushed Steph out of the way just in time to get clocked.

Hard.

“Fu-uck!”

That was the first thing Nicole heard after the ringing in her ears stopped.  She’s pretty sure Wynonna had been yelling it for some time.  She was furiously shaking the sting out of her hand and standing over Nicole with eyes as wide as saucers.

“Why did you do that?” Wynonna demanded. “Are you crazy?”

Nicole thought the question was highly unfair considering she was the one who just got punched.

“Huh?”

“You put your face in front of my fist,” Wynonna stated dumbly. “Why would you do that?”

“You hit a cop!” Steph was still screaming somewhere in the building. “You’re going to prison now, Earp. Lock the bitch up!”

When Nicole was finally able to gather her wits, she tasted the telltale bitter metallic and groaned.  She immediately began to lightly touch around her mouth, finally proving what she had already sensed.  

Wynonna Earp had punched her tooth out.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said, mostly to herself, as she stuck her tongue in the space where that tooth had been.

And then it magically appeared in front of her.  It was attached to a hand, that was attached to an arm, that led to the face of some angelic being.  Honestly, in that moment, Nicole wasn’t sure if she wasn’t looking at the freaking tooth fairy herself.

“Put it in your mouth!”

Nicole was puzzled. “What?”

“Put it in your mouth!”

Nicole tilted her head slightly, looking at the tooth and back to the tooth fairy girl. “That was on the floor.”

“Fine!” The girl blew on it once and then said again, “Put the tooth in your mouth. Under your tongue.”

Nicole did as she was told with a wince. “K,” she muttered after the deed was done.

The tooth fairy smiled at her, “Good. Okay, we gotta get you to the dentist. C’mon.”

“Eh kend,” Nicole tried to reason, tooth stuffed under her tongue.  She vaguely pointed toward Wynonna.

“Don’t worry,” Gertie told her, taking in the action from a bar stool. “I’ll take care of Earp here.”  Gertie tossed a set of handcuffs over to Wynonna. “I’m too fuckin’ old, Wynonna. Just cuff yourself.”

Wynonna did exactly as she was told and tightened the cuffs around her wrists and let them fall over her midsection.  She was still angling to see the condition of the officer as she craned her neck, but stood rooted to the spot she was in.

“We have an hour, maybe,” Tooth Fairy informed Nicole while tugging her up from the floor. “So, get your ass off the floor and c’mon.”

“I-”

The tiny woman was in no mood to talk it out, she turned to Wynonna. “Call Doc, tell him to meet us.”

“No, Waves, I’m not calling Doc,” Wynonna said with an petulant shrug. “Anybody but Doc! Fuck Doc.”

“Wynonna, do it!” Waverly said, finger pointing.

Wynonna huffed before digging her phone out of her pocket with her cuffed hands and dialing.  It was almost funny that she was too damn drunk to hold her phone without knocking herself in the head with her other hand. “Dammit!” she cursed.

Nicole peered up, still slightly dazed. “Hoo er ew?”

“Waverly Earp,” she responded with a smile and wave. She leaned down to scooped up Nicole’s fallen hat and set it atop her head.

“Ert,” Nicole frowned at the name.  There were two of them.

“Give me your keys,” Waverly said as she, Nicole, Gertie, and Wynonna made their way through the crowd and out the saloon doors.

Nicole looked at her like she had two heads. “Wut? No.”

“Keys,” Waverly motioned with her hand. “Give me your keys.”

Nicole moved her tooth into the pocket of cheek. “I can’t let you drive my cruiser.”

“Well,” Waverly crossed her arms over her chest. “You can’t drive. You’re still seem pretty  dizzy and the way you keep trying to refocus, you might even be concussed.  Wynonna is drunk and cuffed and honestly can’t drive very well when she’s not and-”

“Hey!”

Nicole waved her hand to dismiss those ideas anyway. “Officer Gates can drive-”

“Gertie got her license revoked three years ago,” Waverly said, foot tapping with impatience.

“What?” Nicole looked at Gertie.

“Little Earp is right,” Gertie confirmed. “I made a hard left into the barber shop on Sycamore.  Scared the hell out of Lloyd.  He stabbed himself in the arm with his own shears.”

“He never gave another crewcut,” Wynonna lamented. “Poor Lloyd.”

“Would you like a repeat of that tragic ending?” Waverly asked Nicole. “The sound of a blinker still makes the guy break out in cold sweats.”

“No, but-”

“Do you want to keep your tooth?”

“Yes, but-”

“Then give me your keys.”

“I don’t think-”

“Okay, fine.” Waverly stepped right up to Nicole and shot her a quick smirk before studying her front pockets. Nicole wasn’t sure why, but her hands flew up in surrender.  Waverly gave her right pocket a light pat.  Their eyes met again for a millisecond before she slowly reached in and found the keys.  “There,” she held up them up, shaking them with a jingle. “Now you can tell Nedley I stole ‘em from ya, rookie.”

Nicole audibly gulped. “I guess you’re driving then.”

Just a few minutes later, Waverly pulled up in front of the police station and hopped out of the car.  She popped open the back door and let Wynonna wiggle herself out and onto the street.

“I’ll come and bail you out in a bit.”

“Gus should be coming,” Wynonna said. “I texted her earlier, while the cop was still on the floor and it was looking pretty bleak.”

“Cool,” Waverly said. She looked over the top of the car to Gertie. “Give her the good cell, Gert!”

“I’ll dig her pillow out of the evidence room,” Gertie said. “Wouldn’t want the little shit to be uncomfortable.”

“Aw, Gert,” Wynonna beamed at her. “You do care.”

“You bet,” Gertie scowled and headed toward the Sheriff Department. “Bring your saggy ass in here. It’s time for a nap.”

Wynonna tapped her cuffs on the passenger side window, making the motion to roll it down.  Nicole did so, but only about three inches.

“Es?”

“Hey there, Officer Girl Scout,” Wynonna jutted her bottom lip out. “Sorry ‘bout the whole tooth thing. Tell Doc to send me the bill, okay?”

Nicole nodded and pressed the button to roll up the window, nearly catching Wynonna’s nose in the door.

“Tets genruss,” Nicole garbled out.

“It’s really not,” Waverly commented, shutting her own door and putting the cruiser in drive.  “Wynonna’s never paid a bill in her whole life.”

The drive over to “Doc’s” was interesting to say the least.  Waverly had turned the police scanner down and the radio up and was mouthing the words to some pop song that Nicole wasn’t sure she’d ever heard before.  

Nicole kept discreetly looking over to the driver’s seat, not sure if she was supposed to be making conversation.  Waverly probably wasn’t expecting her to with the tooth floating around her mouth and everything.  Finally, she shifted the tooth to her cheek and chanced it.

“How old are you?”

“Old enough, Officer,” Waverly responded.

“Oh-kay.”

“Let me guess,” Waverly gave her a cursory once over. “You’re about 26?”

“Twenty-five.”

“Twenty-five, sorry,” Waverly corrected herself. “You probably have a worthless degree from some uppity university. And that was enough until you realized after helping an old lady cross the street one day that you want to  _ help _ people.  So, here you are, fresh out of cop school, just putting in some time in a small town sheriff department before heading back out to whatever big city you came from?”

“Hm.”

“Close?”

“Toronto,” came the reply.

“Uh huh,” Nicole could hear the mirth in Waverly’s voice. “The Kingsway, right?”

“No,” Nicole said, sounding downright offended. Then she meekly admitted, “Leaside.”

Waverly chuckled, which came dangerously close to being a full-on laugh. “Of course. And that uppity degree?”

“Liberal arts,” Nicole said after the giggling died down.

“Yikes,” Waverly slapped the console. “That’s pretty bad. I would have guessed Wildlife Conservation, but that’s probably because you look like a forest ranger in that uniform.”

Nicole automatically looked down to assess herself. “It’s the mandatory attire of the Purgatory Sheriff Department.”

“Well, then,” Waverly mumbled as she screeched to a stop outside a small building that looked more like a house than a dental office. “Guess I’ll just have to wait ‘til you’re out of it.”  Nicole’s eyes grew wide, but Waverly was still all business.  “Bring your tooth and your head. Doc’s going to reunite them.”

Nicole climbed the steps, still studying her surroundings and feeling for her radio. “Who is this again?”

“Doc,” Waverly answered as she bent down to pet the dog lounging on the porch with both hands. “Hey buddy,” she said to the bulldog. “How you been? Missed you, big guy.”

Nicole was just about to ask about her relationship with the pooch when the screen door screeched open.  She wasn’t sure what to expect, but it wasn’t this guy.  He was younger, taller.  It also appeared as if he’d forgotten to shave for three days.  Well, except for the fact that his mustache looked like it could have been a rodent that had gotten surgically attached to his top lip.  Doc brushed his long hair back with his hand and eyed Waverly.

“Miss Waverly Earp, what do I owe the pleasure?” he said, drawl pouring out of his mouth like thick honey.

“Hey Doc,” Waverly gestured toward Nicole. “Rook, over there, took a shot the mouth.”

Doc turned his attention to the patient. “Rook?”

“Officer Haught,” Nicole answered. “Nicole.”

“Haught?” Waverly asked, suspicious. “That’s your name?”

Nicole tapped her name plate to prove it. “Yeah, why?”

Waverly ignored it and turned her attention back to Doc. “Wynonna punched her tooth out.”

“Wynonna Earp is responsible for this?” Doc smiled. “Well, that makes all the sense in the live long world.  No wonder she called ol’ Doc askin’ for favors.”

“It’s a favor for me,” Waverly was quick to correct.  “And Haught, I guess.”

“Alright, alright,” Doc beckoned Nicole to come closer. “Let’s see the damage that Wynonna inflicted on you, Officer Haught.”

Nicole inched nearer, raising her lip with a finger so he could assess the damage.  

“Looks as if you’ve been separated from your lateral incisor.  I’m going to assume that Miss Waverly has directed you to keep that very incisor in your mouth for safekeeping?”

Nicole promptly produced said tooth.

Waverly shifted so she could take a look at Nicole’s mouth as well and said to her, “You wouldn’t believe how often this happens.” She contemplated the statement then added, “Well, maybe you could.”

Doc pulled a medical glove out of his back pocket and silently asked for Nicole to drop the tooth in his hand. He studied it for a moment before saying, “We’re going to reimplant this, maybe do a little splintin’.  How’s that for you, Officer?”

“Sure,” Nicole answered, eyes darting to Waverly for reassurance. Of which, she got little.

Both Doc and Waverly headed further into the house, his heavy boots creating an echo throughout the place.  It was big and drafty.  Nicole got a bit chilled before they finally veered off to a small room that was home to an old dentist chair and a giant hanging spotlight.

“Do you practice here?” Nicole asked, suddenly very scared.

“Oh, heavens no,” Doc laughed lightly. “This is just a side business.”

“But you are a dentist, right?”

“While ‘tis a fact that the town refers to me as ‘Doc,’ in truth, I am a dental hygienist.”

“If your tooth gets knocked out after five, Doc’s your best bet,” Waverly said.

 

***

 

An hour later, Nicole was walking back into the Ghost River County Municipal Offices.  Truth be told, she was looking for Waverly Earp more than anything else. Her tooth fairy had disappeared at some point during her “procedure” and Nicole figured that she had doubled back to pick up Wynonna. 

Lo and behold, Wynonna was still jailed.  Actually, she was lying on two mattresses with a contoured pillow and jabbing her finger at what looked to be Nicole’s mini iPad.

“Hey, is that mine?” Nicole asked as she put her face between the bars.

“Probably,” Wynonna answered, continuing to jab. “Nothing good to play on this damn thing. All I could find was cop shit and crosswords.”

“How did you even get that?”

“Gertie brought it to me,” Wynonna said. “Asked to make a phone call and she brought me this. Said it was either a phone or a television, I was welcome to figure it out.  Now, I think she’s taking a nap in Nedley’s office.”

“And why would you think that?”

“She told me she was going to take a nap in Nedley’s office,” Wynonna said. “And if I was to escape, to do so quietly.”

Nicole rolled her eyes as she unlocked the cell and walked in.  She was going to demand her tablet, but just dropped down on the cot instead. “What a night,” she muttered to herself as she set her hat down next to her and reached into her shirt to work the knot out of her shoulder.

Wynonna peered around the tablet. “First day?”

“Yep.”

“How’s the tooth?”

“Reimplanted,” Nicole said, chomping softly to prove it.

“Doc’s good with puttin’ ‘em back in,” Wynonna said. “About all that bastard is good for.”

“History?”

“As much as a textbook.”

Nicole thought it was probably best to leave it. “So...Waverly?  She’s your sister?”

“Baby sister,” Wynonna said proudly.

“I, uh,” Nicole scratched at her temple nervously. “I kinda figured she’d come here.”

“Haven’t seen her since she left with you,” Wynonna stated. “She run off on ya?”

“No, no,” Nicole said quickly. “Just...well...yeah. Thought she might be here bailing you out.”

“Nope,” Wynonna said, seemingly not bothered at all. “Nobody’s come to spring me yet. Seems to take longer every time.”

“You wind up here a lot?”

“Some.” Wynonna shifted on the bed. “More lately,” she said contemplatively. “Judge Cryderman is probably going to throw the book at me this time.”

“I can’t imagine the sentence will be light,” Nicole said, almost apologetically. “You did hit a police officer.”

“Oh, yeah, well that, too,” Wynonna agreed. “But the asshole has got a hardback copy of The Thorn Birds and a surprisingly good arm for his age.”

“Well, good luck with it.” Nicole stood up and grabbed her hat. “I’m gonna go find some coffee.  Apparently I’m staying up for a county-wide manhunt first thing tomorrow. Nedley has called for all hands on deck.”

“Who they huntin’?” Wynonna asked, completely uninterested.

Nicole wasn’t sure why she divulged the information, but she did.  “Pair of guys robbed the Bleeker Avenue Savings and Loan a while ago and a tip has suspects matching their description in the area.”

“Oh, the Clootie boys then.”

“Clootie boys?”

“Yeah,” Wynonna said nonchalantly. “Brothers. Their momma probably has them holed up in some motel twenty miles in either direction.  They can’t do shit without their momma.  One is a big baby and the other...well, let’s just say he doesn’t have the best head on his shoulders.”

Nicole’s interest was piqued. “How do you know all this?”

“I don’t know,” Wynonna shrugged. “Just a hunch. I bet if you look for a pink ‘89 Chevy Corsica hatchback at a Motel 6 somewhere, you’ll find ‘em.”

“A hunch?”

Wynonna turned her head just enough to wink at Nicole. “Or you won’t. I don’t give a good goddamn, Officer. Just trying to make up for the free extraction I forced on you earlier.”

Nicole thought about it. She weighed her options.  Then, she took a deep breath a made a phone call.  It wasn’t even the turn of midnight before a response came back from the town eighteen miles northeast of Purgatory.  The Clootie boys were staying in Room 116 and they had two bags of cash and a brand new mink coat for their momma.

Nicole approached Wynonna’s cell slowly, not believing she was about to do what she was about to do.

“Get ‘em?” Wynonna asked as she played what looked to be a freshly downloaded San Andreas.

“Yeah,” Nicole said as she unlocked the cell again. “We did. Uh...thanks, I guess.”

“Hunch,” Wynonna responded.

“So...I have a proposition,” Nicole said after a long few minutes of back and forth in her head.

“Last time I was propositioned, it was by Billy Wimbley.  And his fiancee walked in and has proceeded to tell the whole damn town that I need a butt lift.  Which led to her bustin’ up my birthday party and me punching you in the face.  So...no.”

“Yeah, it’s not like-” Nicole stopped. “Wait, it’s your birthday?”

“I’ll forgive you for not knowing, I lost my birthday tiara between drink number eight and nine.”

“Happy birthday.”

“You really don’t have to say that,” Wynonna chuckled and knocked on the cot. “You’ve already given me so much.”

“So, about this proposition.”

“No thanks, Officer.”

“Hear me out.”

“I’m gonna say no,” Wynonna told her.

Nicole cleared the air. “How ‘bout instead of me filling out a bunch of unnecessary paperwork and keeping you locked up, I let you walk out of here and you become my informant.”

“Informant?” Wynonna’s eyebrows went up in question as she finally dropped the iPad. “What the fuck am I supposed to be informing you of? I promise, it was a hunch. I don’t know shit.”

“I’m not sure I believe that, Wynonna Earp.”

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


 

“Informant for what?” Waverly was rightfully confused as she tapped her spoon against Gus’s decades old wooden table the next morning. “You don’t know shit.”

“That’s what I said,” Wynonna pointed out right before she stuffed a buttermilk biscuit in her mouth.

“You ever stopped to think, maybe, just maybe, that the good officer is just trying to keep your ass out of trouble?” Gus asked as she passed the hash browns.

“Doubt it.  Officer Haught has zero interest in my ass.” Wynonna pointed to Waverly, “Baby girl’s ass, though. Different story.”

“What?” Waverly nearly dropped the glass of orange juice in her hand. “What are you talking about?”

“She asked about you.”

“What did she ask?”

“Stuff.”

“Like?”

“I don’t know, stuff like...” Wynonna took another bite and watched Waverly stew as she chewed slowly.

“Wy!”

Wynonna held up a finger and winked at a smiling Gus before continuing, “...if you were my sister and asked where you might be.”

“What did you tell her?” Waverly leaned just a little more forward with every question.

“Yes and I don’t know,” Wynonna said. “I’m not your damn keeper.”

“Good.” Waverly sat back in her chair and picked her spoon back up, frown creeping on the edges of her mouth.

Wynonna noticed. “So, where  _ did _ you go?”

“Back to work.”

“And left her with Doc?”

Waverly sighed, “It was fine.”

“Nobody deserves to be left with Doc, Waves.”

“You were  _ married _ to the guy!”

“Which is how I know that first-hand!” Wynonna argued.

“Okay, okay, that’s about enough,” Gus finally called for a cease fire. “You’re both are grown now, it’s about damn time you stop bitchin’ like little girls.”

“She started it,” Wynonna blurted, pointing with her butter knife.

Gus grabbed it out of her hand as she collected her plate and moved toward the sink, “And it’s about time you cook your own breakfast.”

Waverly scoffed. “I thought you loved having us over every morning.”

“I’m sure you thought...”

Waverly laughed at Gus being her ornery self.  “So, Wy,” she regarded her sister. “What did you end up deciding about Officer Haught?”

“What do you think?” Wynonna grinned. “I’m sitting here, aren’t I?”

 

 

 

* * *

  
  
  


It was the next week before Nicole finally got up the nerve to go by Shorty’s Saloon again.  This time it was much, much earlier.  And while she was dressed the part of deputy, she wasn’t yet on the clock.  Which is why she had the time to casually lean inside the front door as she watched Waverly struggle with the overflowing taps at the bar.

“Shit!” Waverly growled as she finally slapped it hard enough to stop pouring out.

“I didn’t know Shorty’s had wet t-shirt competitions,” Nicole joked as she stepped further into the bar. “Might have come by sooner.”

“Ha ha,” Waverly remarked sarcastically. “I’ve been telling Shorty he needs to fix the damn taps.”

Nicole let her eyes trail just a bit too low for a split second. “Yeah...”

“Well, lemme see it,” Waverly said.

Nicole was lost for a moment, “Huh?”

Waverly pointed to her mouth. “Let’s see it.”  When Nicole gave her an awkward, all teeth smile, Waverly nodded her approval. She leaned in over the bar, grabbing Nicole’s chin to shift it to better light.  When Nicole’s breath hitched slightly, Waverly let her go. “Yeah, well....that one went back in pretty good. Some of Doc’s finest work.”

“Thank you for your help,” Nicole recovered admirably, with full sentences even. “My parents put a small fortune into this set of teeth.”

“Money well spent,” Waverly commented.  “It would have been a shame to lose that smile.”

Nicole unleashed the dimples in response, shyly ducking her head. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Waverly said, plucking at her wet shirt. “Hey,” she pointed to the dry tee with Shorty’s emblazoned across the front. “You mind?”

“Sure,” Nicole grabbed it and went to hand it over before realizing that Waverly had just whipped her wet shirt right off.

“Thanks,” Waverly said, still not taking it.  Instead, she dabbed the other one all over her chest. “Gonna be sticky all damn night.”

Nicole swallowed, “Uh huh...probably.”

“Hey, sorry about leaving you with Doc.” Waverly tossed her shirt and lifted the other one out of the Nicole’s hand. “Just had to get back to work, so I called a friend to come pick me up.”

“Yeah...” Nicole shrugged. “It’s fine.”

“Wynonna mentioned it.”

“Mentioned...what?”

Waverly settled the shirt over her shoulders before saying, “That you asked about me.”

“Oh, uh, yeah...I did...”

“That’s where I went,” Waverly said. “Back here.”

“Oh, okay,” Nicole said. “I just wanted to thank you...”

“Of course.”

“For you help.”

Waverly rested her elbows on the bar. “You said that already.”

“Well, it was nice. You...you’re nice.”

Waverly bit her lip to keep from saying something entirely embarrassing and instead shrugged it off and busied herself with a glass. “Besides, now, you owe me. Not a bad move to have a deputy in my debt.”

“That’s what I came by for,” Nicole said, straightening. “To show my appreciation, I’d like to take you out.”

“Out?”

“Uh, eh,” Nicole stuttered, thinking briefly that she had read the situation very wrong. “Yeah.  I mean, out or just...out...of here. For drinks?”

“I work in a bar.”

“Coffee, then.”

“Coffee?” Waverly asked, pausing with the glass over her hand. “I like coffee.”

“Good,” Nicole smiled, the dimpled one.  She dropped her business card on the bar, her cell phone number written in dark red ink. “Call me when you get thirsty.”

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Nicole knew that moving so far away from home was bound to lead to having to make some sacrifices.  It was a given.  She was already missing her family’s annual Thanksgiving dinner, but on top of that, she was working.  She was the low “man” on the totem pole as it was.  And, being in that unenviable position meant she had received quite an interesting assignment.

A very loud bark rattled the windows of the squad car as Nicole made the last turn on the gravel road that would lead to the Earp homestead.

“You smell home?” Nicole asked the big bulldog that was snug in her passenger seat, seat belt across his large chest.

Another bark confirmed it.

As the gravel turned to dirt, she found the homestead and accompanying barn sitting off the road, seemingly plopped down in the middle of nowhere.  Wynonna was out of the house before she crossed over Earp Bridge, Waverly trailing slowly behind.

“Peacemaker!” Wynonna was shrieking. “He’s home, he’s home!”

Nicole didn’t put the cruiser in park yet and Wynonna had already thrown open the door and latched onto her dog, embracing him before scratching behind his ears. “Oh, thank god, you’re home. I missed your fat face. Come out of there, ya chubby bastard.”

“This is why she has a dog instead of a kid,” Waverly said to Nicole in jest.

Nicole unbuckled the dog, so he could happily hop out on the ground.  She followed suit, leaning between the car and the door. “Well, I was working anyway. So, I might as well be serving the public by shuffling your dog back and forth between you and your ex-husband.”

“God, don’t remind me. I prefer the term ‘co-parent’,” Wynonna said dramatically.  “Also, this isn’t just any dog. It’s Peacemaker J. Earpiday, best fucking dog on Earth.”

“Strangely enough, Doc already formally introduced me,” Haught explained. “We’ve shaken hands and shared a donut.”

“Yeah...gotta eat fast around this dude,” Wynonna said, pride evident. “He’ll snatch whatever gets close to him. Just like his momma.”

“Would have been nice if someone had mentioned that.”

“I’m surprised Doc didn’t,” Wynonna said.  “Wouldn’t have been a problem, but  _ apparently _ , he thinks we need a middleman.”

“You tried to stuff a lighted match in his pocket last week, Wynonna,” Nicole reminded her.

“It was a joke!”

“You say joke, I say assault,” Officer Haught opined.

“Tom-a-to, To-mah-to,” Wynonna shrugged.  She walked off, Peacemaker waddling behind. “Me and my dog are going to cuddle.”

“Thanks,” Waverly, who had been quietly hanging back, said when the two of them were left alone. “For bringing Peacey.  And, also, for getting her out of trouble again.”

“You’re welcome.”

“She really loves that dog,” Waverly said, looking back toward the already closed door. “Doc, not so much.”

“I’m thinking the feeling is mutual. On both accounts.”

“Probably,” Waverly muttered.  When the eye contact rattled her, she looked out of the rolling plains and then back to Nicole. “Their relationship is interesting. Always has been. On both accounts.”

Nicole got lost in her for a second, which wasn’t a rare occurrence.  This day, in particular, Waverly had her braid resting on her shoulder and a crocheted blanket pulled tight around her shoulders even though it wasn’t that cold yet.  Didn’t stop Nicole from wanting to be wrapped in there with her, though.

“You didn’t call.”

Waverly looked up, surprised she called her out. “No.”

“Were you planning to?” Nicole asked. “Or...not?”

“I don’t really know,” Waverly was nothing if not honest.

“Oh, okay,” Nicole said, fighting and failing at keeping the disappointment off her face. “Well, have a good rest of your Thanksgiving, Waverly.”

She tipped her hat and turned around to leave.  She had just tucked her hand under the car door handle when Waverly called out. “Yes.”

Nicole looked over her shoulder.

“I think I was,” Waverly confessed. “But...”

“But?”

“I’ll be thirsty next week,” Waverly said.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  


“Where to?” Nicole asked as she held the door of Waverly’s favorite coffee shop open for her to pass. “I’m all yours.”

“All mine,” Waverly murmured as she walked out onto the nearly deserted sidewalk that lined Main Street, cup in hand. She looked both directions and then back to Nicole. “Walk? I’ll show you around. I know you probably got the official tour. But, the Waverly tour is better.”

“I have no doubt,” Nicole laughed as she joined her in step. She waited a moment before confessing, “I’m glad that we’re doing this.”

“Me, too,” Waverly said lightly, smiling into her cup. “Finally.”

“Yeah,” Nicole smiled back.  

“So...”

“So, why is this guy plastered all over town?” Nicole asked pointing the an ostentatious poster of a guy suggesting that folks ‘Spend eternity in Purgatory’ that was hanging in the window of a boutique.

“That’s Champ,” Waverly informed her. “He’s a douche caboose.”

“Ah,” Nicole nodded, taking a sip of her still too hot caramel macchiato.  She immediately licked her lip to sooth the burn.

Waverly caught the motion of Nicole’s tongue flutter across her lips and she blew out a mildly frustrated sigh. “I guess he’s the most photogenic male in town or something,” she reported. “More importantly, when we were twelve, he locked my best friend in a porta-potty.  I had to hit him in the balls with a tree branch before he let her out.”

“You still hold a grudge?”

“He’s a worthless shitstick,” Waverly said without mincing words. “Disliked him ever since.”

“That’s a yes.”

“Yes,” Waverly said. “But all for naught, Haught. Now, she’s engaged to him. I guess I’m the only one who holds people to any kind of standard of decency.”

“I would like to think that I hold people to some standard of decency.”

“That’s your job, though.” Waverly mentioned, “You probably know her.  She’s your boss’s daughter.”

“Christine?”

Waverly rolled her eyes, “Chrissy Nedley.  She just started going by Christine last year.”

When they reached the end of the block, Waverly pointed southward to follow the sidewalk and gently pushed Nicole’s hip in that direction. “I’ll show you one of my favorite places.  If you have time.”

“Yeah, sure,” Nicole pulled her phone out of her back pocket and checked.  She had to work later, but when Waverly finally had the day off she had jumped at the chance to get in their coffee ‘date.’

Waverly watched as she slid it back in.  She took note of just how well those jeans fit Nicole’s ass.  She thanked her good luck once again that Nicole was sans uniform. “Yes,” she said to herself without realizing it.

“What’s that?” Nicole asked.

“Oh, uh, you?” Waverly covered. “All the way from Toronto?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Must have a serious case of culture shock.”

“Nah, not so bad,” Nicole shook her head.

“You’re lying,” Waverly said, with an elbow tapping into Nicole’s arm. “It’s okay to say it. I won’t be offended.”

“Okay, yeah,” Nicole let out a low whistle. “It’s different here.”

“I bet.” Waverly took another drink. “So, you lived there all your life?”

“Yep. Grew up in Leaside, went to U of T.”

“Why the University of Toronto?”

“Eh...it’s home and well,” Nicole cleared her throat. “I was recruited for, uh, field hockey.”

“Field hockey?” Waverly grinned. “Unexpected.”

“Yeah,” Nicole said. “Can’t ice skate.  Would never even try, much to the dismay of my dad.” When Waverly’s brows rose in question. “I had a dream as a kid that I got my fingers cut off in a tragic ice skating incident.  It was right before my fifth birthday party, which was to be Toy Story on Ice at the local rink.  I was obsessed with Woody.  Anyway, it scared me. Never skated. Wanted to, but just...couldn’t.”

“I get it,” Waverly validated her fears.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Waverly said. “There’s so, so many things I want to do and when it comes down to making the choice to do it...I chicken out every time.”

“Like what?”

Waverly’s first thought was the obvious.  She was looking at what she wanted to try...who she wanted to try. She faced away, shaking that thought out of her head. “Lots of things.  Like skydiving out of a plane, like surfing in the middle of the ocean,” Waverly smiled. “Like eating geoduck.”

“Well, that’s just gross.”

“You’ve tried it?”

“No, it’s so...phallically shaped. Ew.”

“Speaking of phallically shaped things,” Waverly segued. “Wynonna’s big Halloween bash is next weekend.” When she realized that Nicole was trying to connect the dots, Waverly helped. “Oh, Wy’s annual costume is a giant penis.  And she plays a game called Punch the Dick. It sounds weird, but it’s insanely hilarious. You should come.”

“You’re right, sounds weird,” Nicole agreed. “But, the more I get to know your sister, the less I’m surprised by anything she does...or says.”

“She has a gift.”

“Both of you do, actually,” Nicole said shyly, then stopped and looked backward. She checked out her surroundings, not recognizing them. “Where  _ are _ you taking me, Waverly Earp?”

“I told ya,” she smiled. “My favorite place.”

Nicole looked at her with faux suspicion. “I’ll have to trust you.”

“You will, Officer.” Waverly gestured ahead. “It’s just right around the corner.”

“Yeah, so, you and Wynonna were born here?” Nicole continued, willing to go wherever.

“Born and bred.”

“Never thought about leaving?”

“Sure,” Waverly answered. “I really wanted to go off to school, but it wasn’t in the cards.”

“Oh.”

“Around that time, Wy and Doc were getting divorced so we both moved out to the homestead for our fresh start together.”

“And school?”

“All you need is an internet connection to get a degree, Officer,” Waverly said smartly. “Finish up my double major next Spring.”

“Congrats.”

“Yeah,” Waverly said, unenthused. “Then I get to decide what comes next.”

“Why do you say it like that?”

“Because there’s not many options in Purgatory,” Waverly stopped in front of the concrete steps that led to Ghost River County Library. “It just...is.  _ This _ is best thing we’ve got going,” Waverly pointed up the steps to the building.

Nicole studied the architecture for only a few seconds, “You know, you can go anywhere. There’s no secret boundaries keeping you in Ghost River County.”

“Wynonna’s here,” Waverly said, like it was a foregone conclusion.  “She never left me.  She’s the only one who didn’t. Even when she could have.  She stayed. So I stay.”

Nicole took it in, rolled it over in her head. “Okay, then.” She started up the steps, tossing her empty cup into a nearby bin as they passed.  “Well, I like it here.”

“For now.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“A year or so, right?” Waverly asked. “Then you’re back to Toronto.”

“That’s the plan,” Nicole admitted. “Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy myself, right?”

“Absolutely,” Waverly said. “It’ll be nice to have a new friend around.”

“You bet,” Nicole continued despite her heart dropping. “Always nice to make a new friend.”

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


The party was in full swing by the time she rolled up to the homestead where she pulled over behind a long line of cars.  She wondered again why in the hell she would come out all this way for a party that she didn’t even want to be at, especially dressed as she was.  She quickly grabbed the purple bandana out of the seat next to her, rolled it, and tied it around her forehead.  She dropped the visor down to look in the mirror.

“You look ridiculous,” she told her reflection.

Ridiculous or not, she got of the truck and pulled on a brown backpack that she had previously filled with a pillow and headed toward the music.  _ Wynonna Earp Presents Halloween _ was written across a banner that stretched over the archway in front of the place and it wasn’t long before she was reminded exactly why she was there.

Waverly Earp.

Only this was Waverly Earp dressed as Britney Spears circa 1999 right down to the knee high stockings.

“You came!” Waverly cheered as she sauntered up, red cup in hand.

Nicole did her best not to stare at the abs on display from Waverly’s tied up white button down. “I did,” she croaked.

“And you came as a...” Waverly studied her costume, which was comprised of the aforementioned bandana, backpack, and a kelly green tracksuit. “...frog?”

“Turtle,” Nicole corrected. She pointed to her head. “Ninja.”

Waverly laughed, “Cute! You’re cute.”  She reached up to push the bandana further up and out of her eyes. “So cute.”

“Last minute,” Nicole said apologetically. “I didn’t think I was coming, but...I did.”

“I’m glad,” Waverly bit her lip. “Hey, I have to host for a while ‘cause Wynonna is the worst, but I’ll find you later, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Okay, take this,” Waverly handed over her drink. “And have fun!”

Nicole watched Waverly walk away, the short skirt barely covering her ass. “Damn,” she breathed out and gulped down her beverage.  She continued to enjoy the view until she heard a shrill voice behind her.

“A leprechaun!”

It was Wynonna.  And Waverly’s description of her attire could have never prepared her for the real thing.

“Oh my god!” Nicole exclaimed, taking a step back.

“It’s me,” Wynonna said, her face the only thing visible.  She was indeed a giant penis.  The costume’s width was probably triple the woman’s actual size. It stretched another two feet or so over her head and she had two fleshed colored balls hanging from her knees. A sign hung around her neck advertising that you could punch the dick for the low, low price of two bucks.

“Yeah,” Nicole said. “I see that.”

“Got two bucks?” Wynonna asked. “Fuck, you’re good people. I’ll let you punch the dick for a dollar.”

“I’d really rather not.”

“Punch me.”

“No.”

“It’s a freebie now,” Wynonna offered, arms wide. She danced around a bit. “Go ahead. Give the willy a wack.”

Nicole was saved when she heard Waverly’s voice announcing over a loudspeaker that it was time to start the Polar Dunk.

“Shit, gotta go,” Wynonna said and took off toward a dunking booth filled with ice.

The night was a total bust.  Waverly still hadn’t come to find her hours later and she spent the entire night talking with Gertie who had run over her toe on her hoveround.  She’d only had the one drink because she was a responsible citizen and needed to drive the long way back into town, so all the debauchery of Wynonna’s Halloween party was much less entertaining and much more annoying.

She was even more regretful the next morning when Nedley was ranting about it as he scrolled through Chrissy’s pictures of the gathering on Facebook.  He flashed one of the pics at Nicole, “Why would she post this?”

It was Chrissy licking Wynonna.

“Wow,” Nicole winced. “Yeah...graphic.”

“Wynonna Earp. She’s always throwing those damn parties with the obscene costumes,” Nedley complained. “Where would you even buy that?”

Nicole gulped at the topic of conversation. “I think maybe she made it. It’s possible her aunt helped.”

Nedley’s eyes sharpened on her. “Were you there?”

“I...um...”

“Officer Haught accompanied me out to the Earp homestead last night,” Gertie spoke up. “She went as a favor ‘cause I had to go out and pick up that worthless grandson of mine.”

“Yep,” Nicole pointed out at Gertie. “Helping Gertie get Stupid Carl. You know how he can be.”

“A dumbass, that one,” Gertie made known.

“Yeah, well,” Nedley settled. “Carl is less than smart.”

“Aren’t you diplomatic, sir,” Gertie humored him.

“Don’t get crossed up with those Earp girls, Haught,” Nedley warned on his way out. “They’re bad news.”

“Thanks, Gert,” Nicole offered once the two were alone.

“You bet,” Gertie responded. “I don’t why he such a stick up his ass about those Earps.  Of course, Wynonna is a loose cannon, but the little one is a fine kid.”

“I agree,” Nicole said, grin forming on her lips.

“Besides, she may be on the left side of nuts, but Wynonna throws one helluva party,” Gertie went on. “I had three zom-bi-tinis and got the punch the dick five times.”

  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


“Sit still!” Wynonna complained as she tried to zip her costume into the suitcase that she stored it in for the rest of year.

Waverly sighed, but did as she was asked. “Why do you think she left?”

“Who?”

“Nicole.”

“Who?” Wynonna asked again as she finally was able to push down enough to get it zipped completely.

“Officer Haught!”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Wynonna shrugged. “Was she here? I didn’t see her.”

“Yeah, you did. You talked to her, I saw the two of you talking.”

“Did I?” Wynonna asked. “I drank  _ a lot. _ And made a thousand dollars worth of dick punching, so...”

“I told her to wait for me,” Waverly wondered aloud. “But when I went to find her, she was already gone.”

“Beats me, baby girl.”

Wynonna nudged her until she climbed back off the suitcase and the two of them lifted it off the bed so it could be rolled into the closet.

“It’s just weird.  Why would she even come if she was going to take off before hanging out?” Waverly asked as the two of them travelled down the stairs into the kitchen.

“To drink? To party? To punch the dick?” Wynonna floated several theories. Then a memory resurfaced. “Oh, yeah. I did see her.  Leprechaun.”

“Turtle.”

“Bad either way,” Wynonna assessed as she made her way to the fridge and dug out an open beer bottle.  “Why do you even care? Are you guys best friends now?”

“No, not  _ best _ friends. Just friends...kind of.”

“Kind of friends?” Wynonna’s eyes narrowed. “Do you  _ like _ her?”

“I don’t know,” Waverly shrugged and deposited herself into a kitchen chair, pulling a textbook closer. “Maybe?”

“Maybe? Like the time you had the insanely cute crush on Samantha ‘Perky Tits’ Baker?”

“Stop calling her ‘Perky Tits’, she was really sweet.”

“Sweetness is subjective, but either way, that was a nice rack.”

“Yeah, it was,” Waverly agreed. “And, yes, I  _ like _ her. Okay?”

“Eh, she’s hot,” Wynonna laughed. “Oh...that’s funny. Haught’s hot. Anyway, she’s hot if you like that type.”

“What type?”

“Uptight.”

“She’s not.”

“Uh...” Wynonna grabbed Waverly’s shoulder from behind and shook her lightly. “Need I remind you, she is a cop.”

“So.” Waverly thumped Wynonna’s arm.

“Oh, great argument!” Wynonna thumped her back. “If you like her, you like her. Whatever floats your little boat, Waves.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Waverly mumbled as she turned to the place she left off in her book.

“And why not?”

“Because, we’re the only two souls that have actually gotten stuck in Purgatory, Wy,” Waverly said. “She’ll be gone soon just like all the others.”

“That’s depressing as hell,” Wynonna told her and she finished off her beer.  When she got no response, she left her sister to study.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


November seemed to crawl by to Waverly.  It always had.  By November, the easy lull of summer was long since gone and the colors had all dulled.  November was for buckling down with homework.  November was for covering up to stay warm.  It was never a surprise to look up from a book and realize that she had lost weeks of it while her head swam in obscure Latin literature or another ancient civilization.  This year she had probably forced it a little more than usual, though.  

That’s why she felt a fresh shot of adrenaline one very slow afternoon at Shorty’s when she noticed a certain officer come in.  There was no customers to run off and serve.  There was no immediate task that needed tending.  In fact, she had a book stretched over the counter and her sister had her feet up on the bar, nursing a drink.

“Oh, look,” Wynonna hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “It’s getting Haught in here.  Waverly’s about to take off all her clothes.”

“Shut up!” Waverly hissed.

“Waves. Is. Gettin’. Some. Haught,” Wynonna sang to the tune lowly as she turned on her bar stool. “Officer Girl Scout! What brings you by the establishment where my baby sister works?”

“Lookin’ for you, actually?”

“Little ol’ me?” Wynonna asked, pitch higher normal. “My, my Officer Haught. What did I do that would make one of Purgatory’s Finest feel the need to hunt me up?”

“Probably a long list of things,” Nicole said to Wynonna before turning her attention to Waverly with an awkward smile. “Hey Waverly. Long time, no see.”

“Yeah,” Waverly said, only looking up for a second. “Sure has.”

“Well, I hope you don’t mind me borrowing you sister.”

“Don’t worry, Waves,” Wynonna barked. “I’m sure she’ll give me right back.”

Nicole’s gaze lasted a bit too long before she focused back on Wynonna. “Word on the street is there’s been some illegal potato smuggling up from the U.S.”

“Dear Jesus, the tragedy,” Wynonna comically clutched at her heart. “Why the hell would I care about that?”

“I didn’t figure you did,” Nicole said. “You care about so little.”

Wynonna nodded, in full agreement.

“But, I thought you might have noticed some shady characters being...shady.”

“I don’t have the exclusive on shady characters, Officer Haught,” Wynonna said. “I may be shady. Do shady shit. Know shady people...who do shady shit...but I’m not the only one.”

“Okay, okay,” Nicole put her hands up to signal for her slow down. “It was just a question and you agreed to help out when I had questions.”

“Questions I know the answer to,” Wynonna clarified. “And I don’t know anything about your American taters. Spud’s not for me. Peel and ‘em and weep. Go russet up a new suspect.”

“That last one went a bit off the rails,” Waverly muttered.

“I know,” Wynonna acknowledged.

“Fine. I got it. We have an ID on two of ‘em anyway.  Looks like they only have one thing in common,” Nicole shared. “Some popular restaurant two towns over called The Treehouse.”

“Oh, shit,” Waverly coughed out.

Nicole’s head snapped in her direction. “You know the place?”

“Uh,” Waverly glanced at Wynonna. “We’ve been there once or twice.”

“Yep,” Wynonna said. “Good beef brisket, chicken fried steak’s a bit iffy so don’t have that unless you’ve got a stomach of steel or you’re off the next day.”

“Not interested in the menu, Wynonna.”

“Wynonna,” Waverly gave her a look that Nicole found completely indecipherable.

“Waverly.”

Waverly’s eyes widened slightly with a gesture toward Nicole. “Wynonna.”

“Waverly,” Wynonna shook her head once.

“Wy _ nonna _ .”

“ _ Wave _ .

“Uh,  _ Wy _ .”

“Okay,” Nicole banged on the bar top, knowing that could go on forever. “Let’s say other words, Earps. I’m not following.”

“Nicole,” Wynonna said just to be annoying.

Nicole groaned in exasperation. “Really?”

“The Treehouse is owned by our sister,” Waverly finally said. “There.”

“Waverly!” Wynonna picked up a salt shaker and shook some out on the counter. “C’mon.”

“Sister?” Nicole nearly gasped. “What?”

“Wynonna,” Waverly huffed, grabbing a towel to clean it off. “What the hell?”

As soon as it was done, Wynonna unscrewed the top and poured the whole shaker out. “That’s what you get, baby girl.”

Nicole as still clawing to catch up. “You mean to tell me, there’s three of you?”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  
  
Wynonna crunched into another chip and wiped her greasy hands on the interior of the truck.  “I’m literally sitting in a darkened alley with a cop on a Friday night watching for someone to show up with a sack of potatoes,” she complained, mouth full. “Life is really pickin’ up for me.”

“At least I was nice enough to bring snacks,” Nicole reminded her.

“It was the only way I was coming.”

“That, too.” Nicole reached down beside Wynonna’s legs and into a small cooler. She pulled out two waters and passed one to her. “Here.”

“What’s this?” Wynonna asked.

“Water,” Nicole said. “It’s a core ingredient in all the beer you drink. Try it, you might like it.”

“Officer Girl Scout,” Wynonna said, cracking the top and drinking.  “No wonder Wave likes you.”

Nicole sprayed her own water all over her steering wheel. “She does?” she coughed out.

“Shit, Haught,” Wynonna said, wiping spit off of her arm. “Yeah, of course, she does. You guys are friends, right?”

“Oh! Yeah, we’re friends.”

Wynonna turned away to hide the shit-eating grin on her face. “Yeah.”

“So, how come I’d never heard of Willa Earp?” Nicole asked. “I’ve been hanging around you and Waverly for a while now.”

“We don’t talk about her,” Wynonna answered plainly. “We’re not close.”

“Why?”

“She left us. When daddy died, we all got shipped to Gus and Curtis. I was twelve, Waverly was still so little. Six, I think.  Anyway, we were there a couple of years and then one morning, Willa was gone. Just like momma.”

“I’m sorry,” Nicole said sincerely. “That sucks.”

“Willa was almost worse, though,” Wynonna said. “I mean, Momma was seduced by the glitz and glamour of celebrity after one chorus of  _ Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain _ . She was always, I don’t know, looking for something else, I guess. Something besides a husband and three kids. Then Willie Nelson came to town and she went with him. But, Willa...”

“So you haven’t spoken to your sister since?”

“Yeah, we have,” Wynonna cleared up. “We’ve seen her, but she only calls us when she needs something and usually the something isn’t good.”

“Gotcha.”

“And her husband.”

“Bobo Del Rey.”

“He’s an asshole. A moderately successful one, though. This is just one of their restaurants.  And let me tell ya, they’ve got some homemade waffle fries that are to die for,” Wynonna said. “Should have known they were American. Damn yankees.”

“My grandmother is American,” Nicole interjected.

“Oh, so sorry to offend,” Wynonna said sarcastically.  “You are trying to arrest my sister on suspicion of illegal vegetable possession, so let’s not play the family card.”

“Hot potato,” Nicole sniggered.

“Oh, cop’s got jokes,” Wynonna rolled her eyes. That’s when she saw a shadowy figure appear in the alley. “Hey, look. It’s a dude and a duffel bag.”

“Shit,” Nicole said suddenly, picking up a camera and taking several shots.

Wynonna sat up straighter, narrowing her eyes. “Where have I seen that guy before?”

“You know him?”

“I’m not sure,” Wynonna fell back in her seat. “So, you’re just going to take pictures?”

“I’m a rookie cop who’s going semi-rogue because of questionable gossip,” Nicole said. “I’m operating on ambition.  I’m also staying in my lane. Doing legwork, gathering evidence, building a case.  Gotta get to the top of the chain by checking all the links at the bottom.”

“You mean you’re not going to run out there and arrest his ass? I thought I was part of an undercover sting, here,” Wynonna scoffed.

“Not quite,” Nicole shook her head. “Besides, I don’t even have backup.  I just have you and your...geez, Earp, do you have any skills?”

“I have plenty of skills,” Wynonna shot back. “Knocked you out, didn’t I?”

“And you keep making me regret letting you off the hook for that,” Nicole said as she put her camera away.

“That’s it?” Wynonna’s voice was steeped in disappointment.

“That’s it for now.” Nicole started up the truck and pointed it back in the direction of Purgatory.

“Police work is boring as hell,” Wynonna commented.

“Can be.”

“That’s why I could never be a cop.”

“Huh,” Nicole looked over to her in the passenger seat. “What is it that you do instead, Wynonna?”

Wynonna smiled, “I’m a professional Earp.”

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


 

Waverly told herself a million times that she wasn’t actively avoiding Nicole Haught.  She had pretty much dodged her for almost a month, though.  But, she was busy.  She worked.  She studied.  Her sister was a full-time job.  So, maybe she had some unanswered texts.  Maybe she had let a few calls go to voicemail.  It wasn’t a big deal.

Trouble was, it  _ was _ a big deal.  It was enough of a deal that she refused to go into the Ghost River Municipal Offices while Chrissy ran in to borrow a few bucks from her dad.  Of course, she didn’t outright say no, she just loitered around the front door.  And maybe if she had told Chrissy what was going on, she would have had a warning.  But, she didn’t.  And she didn’t.

It was enough of a deal that when she saw Nicole come out the front door, all professional and looking like she’s on a mission, Waverly’s whole damn body clenched.

“Whoa, hey,” Waverly stepped out of the way.  “Where’s the holdup?”

“What?” It took Nicole a second to realize who it was, seeing as how Waverly had been MIA for weeks. “Oh. Hey.”

“Hey,” Waverly threw on a big, fake smile.

Nicole opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it. “Nice to see ya,” she gave her a sharp nod and continued past.

Waverly let her go...for a second.  Then she balled her fists up to conjure up whatever courage it was she needed. “Hey! Nicole.”

Nicole stopped, didn’t turn, though.  She just waited.  It seemed Nicole was always just waiting for Waverly to do  _ something _ .  Waverly was unnerved by it sometimes.  Most of the time.

Waverly caught up in more steps than it took Nicole.  She rounded her and looked up. “I’m sorry that I haven’t...you know.”

“Called me back?

“Yeah.”

“Spoken to me when I come into Shorty’s?”

“I have.”

“Barely,” Nicole lifted her eyebrows daring Waverly to object. “And usually only when Wynonna is there to buffer.”

“Wynonna is a very good bufferer,” Waverly argued. “It’s true. And I’ve heard that in all kinds of different contexts.”

“I get enough of your crazy ass sister,” Nicole said, moving forward. “I don’t need to know her buffering history.”

“I know, I know,” Waverly said, struggling to keep up as they crossed the street. “I don’t want to talk about Wy. I want to talk about us.”

“Us?” Nicole stopped on a dime.

“You and me,” Waverly, stopping short herself. “Our...friendship.”

“What friendship, Waverly?” Nicole asked. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

“No, I have-”

“Yeah, you have.”

“Okay, I have,” Waverly admitted. “And I don’t know why. I mean, I do know why, but not really because  _ why _ has never really been a problem before. I just don’t know, you know? You’re different for some reason and I’m...”

“You’re what?”

“Hey!” Chrissy’s voice reached them making them both turn and glower in her direction. “You comin’?”

“Shit,” Waverly groaned. “Chrissy and I are going out to celebrate our finals being over.”

“Oh,” Nicole nodded. “Yeah, I thought I saw her in Nedley’s office.”

“Yeah.”

“Congratulations.”

Waverly was momentarily confused. “For what?”

“Finals?”

“Finals,” Waverly laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, of course. Yes. Thank you.”

“Waves!” Chrissy called to her again from the other side of the street.  She gestured toward her car, hurrying her along. “Let’s go.”

“I have to go,” Waverly said, taking a step away.  Then she turned back.  What possessed her, she will probably never know.  She turned back and went straight back up to Nicole. “You remember the day that I told you what I was scared of?”

“Yeah,” Nicole answered, remembering vividly.

“There was something I didn’t say.”

“Okay?”

Waverly stared at her, willing Nicole to know without her having to say it. “What is it?”

“You.”

And that was it.  That was the extent of her bravery for the day.  She crossed the street, got in Chrissy’s car and they drove away without ever looking back.

  
  


 

* * *

  
  
  


Nicole brushed off the light snow that had collected on her jacket as she shifted nervously outside the door.  She looked at the gift in her hands again and cursed herself for not having it professionally wrapped by the woman at the jewelry counter.  She had completely forgotten that she wrapped like a two year old.  When she finally worked up the courage to knock, she was greeted by a total stranger.

“Uh...hi,” Nicole said to the guy. She craned her neck to look inside, but couldn’t see much. “Is, uh, Waverly home?”

“Wave- oh, the little sister, yeah, yeah,” the man said. He gestured in the house. “Come on in.”

“Oh-kay,” Nicole slid past him, giving him a once over. “We’ve never met.”

“That’s cause he’s new here,” Wynonna said from her perch on the couch. She dressed in full yoga gear and her hair looked like she had just come in from a windstorm. Peacemaker J. Earpiday was sprawled out right beside her with tiny wrist cuffs and a headband on, looking like he himself had just had the workout of his life.  He barked hello in Nicole’s general direction.

“Hi Peacey,” Nicole greeted him, giving him a quick scratch.

She turned to address the new guy, but he already had his hand out for a shake.

“Xavier Dolls,” he introduced himself with a smile that would have buried a lesser, straighter woman. His teeth were in direct contrast to his skin, but matched the bright t-shirt he wore that proudly stated  _ Wolverines _ . “But, most my clients just call me Dolls.”

“Clients?” Nicole asked, looking from him to Wynonna.

“Dolls is my personal trainer,” Wynonna said. “I got myself a little Christmas present.”

Nicole nodded. “Does this have anything to do with your ass?”

“It has everything to do with my ass.”

“Maybe you should drink less.”

“Maybe you should blow me.”

“Wynonna!” Waverly scolded her when she finally showed. “Be nice.”

“Haught Shot started it this time,” Wynonna claimed.

“Guilty,” Nicole admitted. “Sorry.”

“I’m sure she brought it on herself,” Waverly said, winking in Nicole’s direction. “So, what brings you all the way out here, Officer?”

“I brought you a gift,” Nicole said, pushing it toward her like a nervous teenager. “Just something for Christmas. No big deal.”

“What?” Waverly accepted it and made a move to open it. “You shouldn’t have.”

“No, no,” Nicole rushed out. “Save it for Christmas. Don’t open it now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Nicole said confidently. “That’s tradition, right?”

“I guess,” Waverly answered, a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

“Yeah, so, that’s for you,” Nicole tapped the box. “And, um, I’ll see you when I get back.”

“Where are you going?” Waverly asked, brows scrunched.

“Home.”

“Oh,” Waverly nodded. “Sure, yeah. Holidays.”

“Yeah.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“Be back next week,” Nicole answered. “Spending Christmas and Boxing Day with my family in Toronto.”

“That’s great!” Waverly said with way too much enthusiasm. “Awesome.  And awesome of Nedley to give you so much time off.”

“Yeah.” Nicole blew out a deep breath and looked nervously to the other two occupants of the room who seemed to be watching with great interest.  “Okay, so, Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Nicole,” Waverly said. “Happy Boxing Day!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Nicole took a step backward. “Well, I’ll see ya.”

“Be careful,” Waverly said as she walked her to the door. She softly closed it behind her and watched through the nearby window until Nicole had started up her truck and was pulling away.  She leaned back against the wall, wishing she wasn’t such a coward sometimes.

“Well, that was more awkward than the night I lost my virginity,” Wynonna announced.

Dolls smiled at her warmly. “She seems nice.”

“She is.” Waverly turned over the box in her hand.  She wanted to wait.  She should wait, that’s what Nicole requested.

In the end, she took the box into the kitchen to open it in private.  She chuckled at what obviously Nicole’s wrapping handiwork and cut the tape with her fingernail.  When she finally got to the three small charms, she smiled wide.

Wynonna snuck in and rested her head on Waverly’s shoulder, being nosy. “An ice skate, a parachute, and a surfboard.”

“Yeah,” Waverly said, voice shaky.

“Haught really needs some help with gifting,” Wynonna said. “That makes zero sense.”

“Makes sense to me,” Waverly commented.  She went to tuck the charms back in the box when she saw a piece of folded paper slipped into the box as well.  She extracted it and unfolded the page.

_ If we get scared, we’ll do it together. _


End file.
